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I'll start by saying I love the way the Jaguar I had looked and drove when it was actually running. Getting up to interstate speed was where it really felt like floating on butter. The wood detailing on the inside is really nice.
Now some of the bad stuff:
The Ford parts in some of the Jags when Ford owned them SUCK! I owned a 2003 Jaguar S-Type 3.0 base model and probably had to have something major fixed on it at least twice a year. All the plastic and rubber bits are cheap, get brittle and break over time. Had leaking break fluid into wheel well, cracked plastic on coolant expansion tank leaking antifreeze (fixed myself), cracked radiator hose, cracked hoses and bad coil packs that made my system run too lean. One of the window regulators broke and I fixed that myself with a new one from ebay.
Finding a Jaguar repair shop can be difficult too. I live in Atlanta and only know of two other places that specialize in working on one besides the two dealer locations (I've been to a few places that work on "european imports" and said they work on Jaguar, but were absolutely horrible when it came to actually working on mine). I'd never really go through a dealer if you can avoid it. It will for sure cost you an arm and a leg. It's just as well though as you may want to learn to turn a wrench to save some money when you need to fix the car. I was actually on my way yesterday to trade it in for an Audi A4 when it broke down on the interstate. Tried jumping the car off and it wouldn't turn over. Had to have it towed to the dealership and lost a good bit of money on the trade in because it broke down. So obviously I may be biased, but that's my experience.
One of the repair guys that I used said the best modern car as far as a reliable Jag goes is an overhauled XJ6. You will have to use premium gas whichever you get, but you probably already knew that. One good thing is you can now buy most used models relatively cheap. So I would say if you can do some repairs yourself, they can be fun cars to have.
I owned a 2000 S-Type 4.0. My experience was very different. I daily drove my car and is was solid, but not flawless until I sold with 127K miles.
Unexpected repairs:
2 x thermostats failed - repaired under warranty up to 50K. Didn't happen after that (better part!)
1 x knock sensor - repaired under warranty. Happened early in its life.
Shifter linkage was replaced around 80K miles. The "J" linkage became balky.
Driver's side power window repaired around 75K?
Normal:
Several pairs of Z rated tires
Battery
Brake pads serviced once that I remember
Spark plugs replaced at 100K
The car was definitely not a Honda in terms of service. But only the thermostat was an issue that might have caused me a real problem.
I owned a 2000 S-Type 4.0. My experience was very different. I daily drove my car and is was solid, but not flawless until I sold with 127K miles.
Unexpected repairs:
2 x thermostats failed - repaired under warranty up to 50K. Didn't happen after that (better part!)
1 x knock sensor - repaired under warranty. Happened early in its life.
Shifter linkage was replaced around 80K miles. The "J" linkage became balky.
Driver's side power window repaired around 75K?
Normal:
Several pairs of Z rated tires
Battery
Brake pads serviced once that I remember
Spark plugs replaced at 100K
The car was definitely not a Honda in terms of service. But only the thermostat was an issue that might have caused me a real problem.
I think that would make sense vs my car. Yours had a v8 Daimler engine whereas mine had a Ford v6 DEW30 platform. Most of the repairs I had had to do with the engine. The Jag parts of the car were solid and really never had any of them break. The window regulators were shared with the Lincoln LS platform (Ford). I think the XK's do share the engine that you had, so probably a good sign that the XK's are more reliable than my review. Of course, I may have just come across a lemon for my 3.0, which is totally possible. Thanks for the input. Interesting discussion. My car had 136,500 roughly as of yesterday at trade in.
I think that would make sense vs my car. Yours had a v8 Daimler engine whereas mine had a Ford v6 DEW30 platform. Most of the repairs I had had to do with the engine. The Jag parts of the car were solid and really never had any of them break. The window regulators were shared with the Lincoln LS platform (Ford). I think the XK's do share the engine that you had, so probably a good sign that the XK's are more reliable than my review. Of course, I may have just come across a lemon for my 3.0, which is totally possible. Thanks for the input. Interesting discussion. My car had 136,500 roughly as of yesterday at trade in.
Any reason you sold yours if you mind me asking?
I think that V8 is really a Jaguar design. Although it was used in a Daimler car, it is thoroughly British in its roots.
I sold mine because I needed a truck! I replaced it with a Honda Ridgeline, and later added an NSX for my fun car. I really liked the Jag - but I admit I was worried that a time bomb awaited me.
I think that V8 is really a Jaguar design. Although it was used in a Daimler car, it is thoroughly British in its roots.
I sold mine because I needed a truck! I replaced it with a Honda Ridgeline, and later added an NSX for my fun car. I really liked the Jag - but I admit I was worried that a time bomb awaited me.
Makes sense to me. I traded mine because not only the mechanical problems I've had, but it's a heavy larger car (the s-type that is) and is tough for a daily commute in a lot of stop and go traffic. I wanted something smaller with a little better gas mileage. Plus the newer car has better technology built in. I'd have to spend a little to update the older Jag and the tech wouldn't have been as integrated as one designed from the beginning to have it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xjken
Thanks for the input everyone and for the link to the xk forum
Sure, hope it helps.
I actually saw a black XK this morning on my way to work. Man what a beautiful car though!!!
Lately I find myself looking at Jaguar XK convertibles in the 2007-09 model years as a nice weather cruiser. I am looking for those who own a Jaguar currently of have owned one produced in the past ten years for your opinions. Mainly are they dependable or do they fall in the money pit category? The car would be driven gently for the most part some where around 7000 miles a year. I figure being a luxury brand parts and service would cost more than any of the main stream car companies and I am fine with that if they are fairly dependable. Any real world experiences, good or bad would be greatly appreciated.
You can't use Jaguar and dependable in the same sentence.
I've had a fe Jags. A Mk VII from the '50s, and two '86 Series III XJ6s. The Series IIIs were quite nice and generally reliable for cheap old cars (never stranded me or my wife anywhere and ran great at well over 100k miles).
I'm looking at the '00-05 XKR convertibles now as possibly my next purchase.
The problems are typical for that era DOHC V8, in that timing chain guides are plastic and tend to get brittle and fail. Same with my old BMW E38. But it's a relatively easy DIY fix. The convertibles also have issues with the high pressure power top hoses, but again, a cheap and easy fix is available. Other than that, they seem to go for a long time with few problems (I've seen numerous examples with well over 150k miles on them an still in great shape).
Overall a Money pit. To use as an daily driver not the best choice. As a second seasonal car not a bad choice.
And you're basing this on what? Do you own or have you owned a Jaguar and used it as a daily driver? (After all, the OP asked specifically for the opinions of past or present Jag owners.)
I have been using a Jaguar as a daily driver for three years now with no problems at all. I drove a 2012 XJL for 2.5 years and traded it in on a 2014 XJL last October. Admittedly, these are or were new cars and my experience might not be relevant to the OP since he's looking at purchasing a 2007-2009 XK, but at least he's been pointed in the right direction by seeking input from other Jag owners on the Jaguar Enthusiasts Forums.
But in any case, making a blanket statement that Jags are money pits is just ignorant.
My wife has this thing for Jaguars, and she (we) got her first one in 2001, an '01 XJ-8. Over the ensuing years, we've had several others, and none of them have given us any serious problems. It's a shame to see them go "all electric", which means that we've probably bought our last one, but they've been fun to drive...
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